Longevity & AgingDog Disease Networks Reveal Age-Linked Comorbidity Patterns Relevant to Human Health
Researchers from the Dog Aging Project built the first large-scale comorbidity networks in companion dogs, mapping statistical associations among 160 health conditions in over 26,000 dogs. Using a Poisson binomial test adjusted for age, sex, sterilization status, breed background, and weight, the team identified well-known disease pairings—such as diabetes with cataracts and hypertension with chronic kidney disease—alongside less-studied links like proteinuria and anemia. A directed network incorporating reported diagnosis timing revealed likely disease sequences, including diabetes preceding cataracts and dry-eye disease leading to corneal ulcers. Age-stratified analysis showed disease networks became denser and more centralized in senior dogs, mirroring comorbidity patterns seen in aging humans. These findings advance veterinary informatics and suggest companion dogs are a valuable real-world model for studying human aging and multimorbidity.
